


The Fox Wife

by soupmetaphors



Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-11-05 21:27:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11021928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soupmetaphors/pseuds/soupmetaphors
Summary: Courier Six has handed over the Dam and the Strip to Caesar's Legion. Chaos reigns in the Mojave as it settles under a new rule.But the Courier doesn't have any plans to rewrite her mistakes: Her choices take her to Flagstaff, the Legion's capital, far from any remaining friends or allies she can count on. But the walls of Flagstaff are pressing in on her- And with concern growing in her belly, the only solution she can find is to run-Provided she can find an exit.





	The Fox Wife

_The legionaries are dragging the dancers out of Gomorrah- Their fearful faces glisten in the neon lights, their screams bounce off the ruins of the Strip when gloved hands ravage their bodies, their clothes._

_Dolores turns her face away. Beside her, Arcade draws a sharp breath, and she thinks he might speak, but he does not. He does not say anything at all._

_And when she peeks at him through the curtain of her hair, she can see disgust scrawled all over his face; the red of anger starting to sting his cheeks; gaze hard behind his glasses._

Don’t make a scene _, she pleads with him, internally._ For the love of God, don’t make a scene.

_Caesar might forgive the man who unwillingly saved his life, but the legionaries will not be so kind. They never are._

_“The Son of Mars has Vegas under his fist at last.” The words hiss through Arcade’s teeth, barely audible over the cries of the dancers. She hears the unspoken end to his words:_ And it was possible because of you, courier.

_Guilt, laying her nest in Dolores’ stomach, settling down to hatch her brood. She tastes the bile at the back of her throat, swallows._

_“He does.”_

_The Second Battle of Hoover Dam is nothing but an echo to her, despite happening merely six hours ago. She can only recall glimpses of it: Her father’s ranger armor heavy on her back, the Vertibird zooming overhead, screams of death mixed with victory calls. It seems like a dream, the aftermath the only thing to bring her back to reality._

_“You helped raise the red banners over the Mojave, Dolores. Looking away now would be_ cowardice, _if I may say.”_

_She’s looking at the cracked pavement, at the blood that seeps towards their boots. Her hands are still wet from falling over the bodies of the dead, scrambling to stay on her feet, hands slipping in the red of the streets._

_“Don’t,” she whispers. “Don’t tell me what I already know.”_

_But does she truly_ comprehend _it, the question remains to be posed._

_Arcade touches her hand. At first, she thinks it’s a sign of compassion, a sign of him acknowledging that they’re in the same boat. Yet when she looks up at him, he’s gazing towards the street, a faint grimace marring his features._

_She follows those green eyes- Sees where they are looking at, and almost,_ almost _shrinks back._

_“Courier.” The fox’s dead eyes glint in the fading sunlight. “The mighty Caesar would like to pass you his appreciation for allowing this battle to be turned in our favor.”_

_She does not smile. “Vulpes, I’m heading back-“_

_“Leaving so soon? The celebrations have hardly begun. Of course, I have no desire to attend them, but Caesar has sent for us both.”_

A celebration. _Dolores feels a wave of nausea rush through her, fights it down quickly. Weakness is not tolerated in the Legion- Profligate or not, there are still some things she would like to uphold. Like her fast crumbling reputation, for one._

_“I’m a profligate. Celebrations are for those in the Legion.”_

_The smile he hands her does not even_ stray _towards his eyes. “You’re mine, courier. And where I go, you follow. Have we not discussed this before?”_

_(He hits her so hard she sprawls across the sand, head smashing against the ground. There are stars in her eyes, blood in her mouth. His voice, like a spider, crawling into her ear: “Come now, courier. Don’t be a fool. I’ve given you more credit than for you to act as such.”)_

_Dolores pretends she can’t hear him. She looks pass him, towards where the legionaries are tying the girls up, gagging them with ragged cloth. The neon lights sputter and fade across their tearstained faces._

_“I want a dress.” Her words are soft, gentle. “Please, Vulpes? I want everyone to know where my allegiances lie, and who I bow to.”_

_The words taste bitter. She hears Arcade snort, but his face is impassive when she shoots him a glance. Inculta watches her intently._

_“You bow to Caesar. Your allegiance lies with his Legion. You don’t need a_ dress _to prove it- You’re not an empress, courier.”_

_“I want them to be jealous of you. You’re the one whom the courier holds up high.”_

_The thought occurs to her that he can see through her words. It stuns her, it dries the words up in her mouth. She waits for the reprimand that never comes- Instead, Inculta nods, turning away._

_“Jealousy is a game for fools.”_

_But she knows he’ll give her that dress, even if his words suggest otherwise- And she knows she’ll pay for it, sooner or later. Everything comes with a price these days, but Dolores is running out of caps to dole out._

_She tentatively lays a hand on his shoulder. He doesn’t brush it off, so she lets it remain._

_They watch the legionaries lead the girls away. The mood is electric, violence and brutality and lust all swelling over amid the scent of smoke and blood._

_She reaches for Arcade with her other hand, and is surprised when his fingers close over hers._

_“Carthago delenda est.” He turns his head, gaze capturing her._

_Her Latin isn’t that good- The meaning does not hit her at all. But the way his eyes burn with hopeless anger scares her far more than any threat can._


End file.
